Sean M. Wood: A conversation with Dan DiDio

Dan DiDio is the master of the universe. The DC universe that is. Everyone from Aquaman to Zantanna is under his direction. The executive editor speaks a mile a minute, giving as much time as his tight schedule allows to answer questions from drooling fanboys like us. After all, he’s in charge of 52 different universes.

That’s one of the things we wanted to know. Why bring back 52 universes after they got rid of them in “Infinite Crisis”? We also talked about the future of The Flash and what the Kubert brothers have been up to, since we haven’t seen much of their artwork lately.

The Q&A follows after the link.

Sean: You got rid of the multiverse with Infinite Crisis. Why bring it back with “52″?

Dan DiDio: The multiverse is incredible, fertile ground for stories and ideas. It’s not something we should retreat from, but embrace.

Sean: You brought back the multiverse. Could this mean you’re bringing back Barry Allen?

DD: The reality is, Barry Allen served a purpose in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” We can argue about the strengths and weaknesses of him when compared with all the others who have worn the Flash costume. I can argue that Hal Jordan is a much more unique personality than the other Lanterns. I might not be able to create the same arguments for Barry Allen. If we bring him back we undo the last thread we had in Infinite Crisis.

DD: There’s a major story line taking place with Ray in the DC Universe. What you will also find out is Ray will be lost in the multiverse. Ray has been acting a little like Johnny Appleseed, leaving bits and pieces throughout the multiverse.

Sean: Are there more weekly titles in the future?

DD: Responses have been extremely strong. We did a slight price increase from “52″ to “Countdown.” We’ve had a lot of people follow us and they’ve enjoyed it. We hope to get a story that justifies 52 issues.

Sean: What’s happening with the Kubert brothers and their interrupted runs on “Action Comics” and “Batman”?